


Pillars

by Fadeawayrift



Category: Fallout 3
Genre: Control Issues, Drinking, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Over Protective, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, Underage Drinking, Unstable Lone Wanderer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 05:41:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5856304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fadeawayrift/pseuds/Fadeawayrift
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Said from the perspective of a very different Gary clone. How will Gary come to terms with his new life in the wasteland with a Lone Wanderer that seems to have some control issues and an unstable mindset?</p><p>Re written, re edited, I hope to have the other chapters completed and posted if not every other week then monthly. The underage marker is set because Gary is only 16, young but not to young. Again I'm terrible at tags, so if you see one missing let me know please. </p><p>Will add additional tags as each chapter is posted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pillars

Another long day, another day of nothing. One can only live in certain situations, if introduced at certain times. Handle things no one else would, if it's all one has ever known. The only reason I know what I live with is nothing, is because I have a level of awareness I'm sure I'm not suppose to have. Ever since I woke up and crawled out of that room that no one ever goes back into I realized something was, off. This place, this vault, only houses one person. Only problem is, there are multiple bodies of that one person roaming the halls. I, myself included.  


I think they know I'm different than they are, they don't care for me and my watching eyes. I don't think they understand why I'm like them but not, I wonder why I'm younger, why am I aware of this. Why can't I say out loud, why? I want to ask, I want to understand. But I believe I'm just as flawed as they are, my own vocal vocabulary reduced to the same as theirs.  


"Gary"  


That's it. That's all there is, I have a distaste in my mouth for the word. I hate it, I want more, want to say more, see more, know more. I'm becoming restless with seeing the same face everyday, everywhere, around every corner, and in every mirror. I try to be different, walk different, fix my hair different, wear my blue suit different. They do show a degree of dislike, even going as far as fixing things to look as they should.   


No words, except for the expected. It's a circular task, every day.  


I sit in the center of our habitat, a medical bay in the center of the cloning lab. Sighing out in relentless boredom, watching intently at the head of a little plastic blond man shake when I tap at it. The only human shaped thing in the vault that looks different. I keep it to myself, keeps me from breaking down. Nothing to do but stare at it or sleep, or watch the others until I want to claw my eyes out.  


' _BANG! PANG, PANG, BANG BANG BANG_ '  


" _Gaaar-y?_ "

I froze in my chair. Were those... were those gun shots? I had never heard them this far in. One of them sounded hurt, or was dying. More of the same, shots ringing out, the name crying out, echoing from one end to the other of the metal halls. I stay still, I'm not insane, I know I could never fight off someone. That person being able to get this far in, I know the moment I moved I wouldn't be able to, oh shit.  


My head tips to the side, being pushed by the warm barrel of whatever gun the intruder has. I don't move, not a muscle, not a breath. Not a word. They walk around to where I can see them. They, he, can see me. He's young, older than I am though, narrow eyes, I can barely make out the greenish blue shine in the dim lighting of the room. His hair a darker shade of brown than my own, looks like it was styled. Now it's messy, a bleeding gash above his right eye. I also had to gawk a moment at his clothes. Under a black leather jacket, the yellow stripes along the zipper of a vault suit like mine, shone through.  


"Gimme' one good reason not to put a hole through your skull?" He studied me, I could see in in his eyes when I looked back up to his face.  


I want to puke, not just because I'm terrified, I'm glad I didn't have to pee, but because he expects me to say something. Anything and all I can say is "Gary." My voice is a statement to how I feel, the fear and nausea in it's tremble.  


He stares at me longer and sighs, holstering his gun. He takes the chair opposite of me and pulls it around, the metal legs scraping the metal floor, the screech makes my teeth hurt. Now he sits to my side, his knees pushing into my thigh. I still don't make any sudden movements, something seems off about him. I watch from the corner of my eyes he digs through a bag and places a roll of gauze and clips on the table in front of me. I stare at the items like they are a freshly dead person.  


He let's out a breath of annoyance and reaches for them, snapping me out of my head and I catch them first. Then I realize I grabbed his hands and let go quickly and pick up the items. He wanted help wrapping his head, I realized it after a moment or two. After a deep breath I turn to face him, I don't recognize the look on his face. There's a smile in his eyes and one side of his lips turned up higher than the other, the brow on the same side higher than the other and his head is tilted just a bit.   


I bit my lip and began the process of mending the stranger's head. Trying to concentrate became difficult once I noticed him staring at me still. This time he's looking intensely at me, I recognize that one. I've used it many times when I would watch the others, trying to figure out what they were thinking. My hands began to shake, I drop one of the clips in his lap. That smile appears again when I reach for it, I hesitate before I pick it up. Because he clearly wasn't going to.  


I felt a rush of relief when I finished, being able to turn away from him again, only to keep watching him from my peripheral. "Time to go." He says as he stands. Then reaches over me and takes the little blond man. My eyes widen and I grasp the bottom corner of his jacket, sadness and fear, my eyes trained on the plastic toy. He looks puzzled then his eyes follow to where I'm looking and he laughs.  


He laughed at me, I'd never heard a laugh like that. It was... amused. He takes my hand from his jacket and puts the toy in it, he takes my other and pulls me up from my chair. Again I froze but I'm so relieved he let's me keep the object, holding it tightly to my chest. "You like that thing huh?" He asks and I just nod my head. I suddenly feel silly, and a little childish. "Then come on, I have a bunch more of them."   


Now I feel a lot childish, because I practically beamed a smile. That laugh, he laughed again and began to walk away. When I hesitated to follow he turns to look at me and whistles, while patting his thigh. "Come on boy." He says.   


I finally uproot my feet and follow.   


The way to the entrance/exit was like something from a nightmare. I had seen people die before, in fact a few days prior to this moment, the others dragged someone kicking and screaming into the lab. Their face, I remember it well, because it was a bloody, swollen mess. I wasn't even sure if they were a person from their howls of pain and the destroyed features. They strapped the man to one of the tables and began poking, with knives. I had to cover my ears from the screams, then like pushing a button, it stopped. When I looked up the body lay there, unmoving, breathing harshly, their only open eye caught mine and we just stare. Then the shine just vanished, and the breathing quit.  


This however was twice as hard for me because it was my face now. All of them, cold, unmoving, staring, reflecting. I think the stranger noticed my turmoil, I felt his arm wrap over my shoulder and pull my face into the side of his chest. I felt better but guilty. While I got to live, while I get to leave, they have to stay. Forever.  


When we reached the end he let go and pushed open a wooden door, I never saw this one, was never allowed to get too close to the gear shaped opening. One of them always caught me, and smacked me with wherever they had in their hands and forced me away. The shock of light on the other side startled me where I gasp, and cover my eyes. Its incredible but painful. Being used to the dim lights of underground, this hurt.  


He seems to be perceptive, or he's just very aware of me. I felt him place something on my face, after feeling the item touch my skin, I know they are glasses. Peeking a bit, the dark lenses block most of the light. It still hurts but is better.  


Again he beckons, again I follow. I follow him throughout the barren world above ground, this wasteland. Almost a day passes, the sun almost gone and I realize, I don't know his name. I know he's dangerous, alert, smart and quiet. All put together in one word 'survivor'. I want to know, how do I ask? I catch up to his side, hold my hand out for him to wait a moment, and hold out my hand gesturing for a shake.  


I know I look insane even when I introduce myself "Gary." As if he couldn't figure that out. He studies me a moment then takes my hand and shakes it, "Blake" he says with a smile. Then as if nothing happened he walked around me and we kept moving. I'm not a dummy, I know good and well, that was awkward. This is going to be a struggle.  


Before long we reach a large patchwork metal wall, a robot greeted us, but he, Blake, ignored him when I lingered a moment to stare. I can't believe it, an actual robot. my eyes wouldn't look away from it until I walked into Blake who, when I looked at him, was enjoying my reaction to it from the amused smile he has.  


I take one last look at the robot and turn to follow. It was like another world past the metal gate. A few people wondered about, walkways and pipes placed along the place. The ground was declining towards the center and there sat a large object. Its shape reminded me of the cereal Sugar Bombs, then it hit me. It was a bomb.  


It makes me nervous, but I want to get a better look at it. Perhaps tomorrow. I continue being Blake's shadow, following him up and away from the bomb, the elevated platform made seeing across the crater easier. From below it's all pipes and metal with darkened greenish sky in the middle.   


He has me wait outside a door, I do and it gives me a chance to look. I don't want to stop looking it's amazing how people kept going. It seems like whatever destroyed the world, couldn't completely destroy humanity.   


When Blake returns he's without his pack, and the bandage has been replaced. “Come on, we're gonna have some fun.” He says a bit childish and I have to wonder what he means. Our next destination, the largest building in the crater, the sign large with Gob’s Saloon painted on it, that  looks like it was painted over something else.  


I haven't a clue what I'm in for, but I get a bad feeling and he just drags me inside, shoving past the people and to the counter. Is this all people do out here? Or at least in this Megaton, the sun goes down and everyone crowds into this building? I was wondering why all the buildings and so few people outside.  


The space was filled with the smell of smoke, noise from chatter and the sound of a radio could barely be heard through the noise. I turned my head to look in a different direction and there's a rough looking man in black leather armor glaring at me. I couldn't help but look at him he has an interesting face.   


He apparently didn't appreciate it because he blew smoke in my face “You gotta problem kid?” He asks, and I looked away quickly, I didn't understand anything but the tone of his voice.  


“Can it Jericho, this’s my new friend. Touch him and I’ll hurt you.” Blake defended me.  


Jericho lowered the tone of his voice “Then tell him to look somewhere else.”  


Blake pushed me to the other side of him, putting himself between me and Jericho “Last time I checked, he could look wherever he wanted. No law about looking.” he countered, causing Jericho to stand up.  


I didn't know what was going on, I only knew that everyone around them, myself included were getting tense. Then an arm came down smacking a tall bottle of clear liquid down on the counter. The action caused them to look away from each other and to the bottle. Jericho was the one to take it and stepped away spitting on the floor at Blake's feet.  


Blake just smirked at him and turned back to me. “Don't stare at people, K?” He said snapping at me when my eyes looked away ashamed then locked onto the guy behind the counter. “That includes Gob.”  


“Where’dya dig this one up from smoothskin?” The guys voice was like the rocks crunching under our boots. And it was really hard not to look at him, he was missing parts of his face!  


“Nother vault like me. Only this one was full of people that all looked exactly the same,” he glanced at me then back to Gob, “kinda like him but older.” he cracked a grin, “And get this, the only thing he can say is…” he looks back to me expectantly, I just look at him then realize what he wants.  


I sigh and “Gary.” I feel ridiculous.  


Gob lets out a chuckle, “Yeah that's definitely up there on the wierd shit’O meter with things you talk about. At least this time you brought proof.”  


“Hey, I wasn't kidding about that room full of plungers and the bloody handprints going up the walls like some creepy fucking, hell room.” He defends himself, with a deep frown, “Anyway gimmie’ my usual but double it.” He says.   


Then Gob went silent and looked at me, like silently appraising me. “Oh what, you gonna have me arrested? Who fuckin’ cares if he drinks.” Blake jumped on the counter and began yelling “Anyone give two shits if this guy has a drink?!” He yells out over the crowd, everyone looks up at him, then to me, I'd never felt embarrassed before, then going back to what they were doing.  


Gob sighed and placed two glasses that weren't too dirty on the counter then two bottles of a brownish colored liquid. Blake grabs my arm and drags me to a small room to the side and practically shoves me into a chair. Taking the seat adjacent me, a table between us he sets the bottles and glasses on it. I watch, suspiciously. Did he expect me to drink that? I guess so because he filled the glasses and sets one in front of me.  


"To life above ground, out of those fucking metal rat mazes." He said holding his glass up and drinking it.   


I grimace at the glad and pick it up, I shouldn't have smelled it, but he's looking at me expectantly again so I grit my teeth, take a breath and drink. It felt like fire, and made my stomach warm. It taste horrible, and makes me cringe. Blake laughs and pours more in my glass and his.   


"Gary?" I say feeling nauseous, looking at the liquid like it was the worst thing in the world.  


Blake picked up his glass, "Don't make me drink alone, it's not so bad once you get the hang of it." He laughs again when I give him a questioning look.  


How does anyone get used to this stuff? I take another breath, pick up the glass and drink it, earning another laugh and he drinks too. "Ugh, Gary." It wasn't as bad as the first, then the third was easier and the fourth... Did I drink a fourth or was it a fifth? I must have because both bottles were empty. There was this tingle behind my jaw, or in my teeth? No I can't feel those or my lips, my eyes felt heavy and I realized I wasn't sitting up anymore but more laying on my back in the chair.   


I also could help feeling really warm, why did it get so warm? I can't stand this, got to cool off, I unzipped my suit and pulled my arms out of the sleeves. Better but not good enough, and before I can pull off my shirt Blake stops me, his laugh was now contagious so I laugh to.  


What were we laughing about? I don't remember, I think it was funny. "Come on," he said standing and pulling at me. I felt like my body was made of lead but that didn't stop him. "Let's go." He said leaning forward and hauling me onto his shoulders like I was some prize kill. I still laughed, I couldn't stop.   


When he puts me down, it's on a couch, the room was spinning but didn't look like where we were, it was also quiet. And it was still to hot, the shirt had to go, but now I can't get it off, I'm trapped in it. It's over my head, my arm is stuck up in the air, the other is in the shirt with my head. And all I can hear is laughing. "Gaaa-rrryyy..." I whine and then feel tugging.  


"I don't know how you did that but shit man, I wish I had a camera that still worked." He said laughing at my peril but at least trying to help me.   


Then finally I'm free and I fall back closing my eyes, which was a mistake because everything began to spin in my head and I felt really sick. I whined again but this time I only made noises. He helped me sit up when I reached out. I sat leaned back against the couch alternating between my eyes being opened and closed, opening them when the spinning got to much to handle. Blake was taking but I wasn't coherent enough to pay much attention.   


Then he taps my arm, I crack my eyes open and look at him without moving my head to much. "Hey, say you're name all fuckin' creepy like." I give him a questioning look and he laughs, "You know, like back in the vault." He nudges me with his elbow.  


I rolled my eyes, and groaned but did it anyway. I sat forward turned toward him and put my hands up making them like claws, "Gaaaaaarrrrrrrrrryyyyyy." I guess getting into character was a good idea because Blake burst into a fit of laughter. Leaning on me, I couldn't help but laugh as well. When the laughter subsided I finally closed my eyes without it spinning, this was nice, it was peaceful and...  



End file.
